


Old Habits (Die Hard)

by Sally_Port



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: AO3 1 Million, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:38:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sally_Port/pseuds/Sally_Port
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Writing stream-of-conscious, where you're shifting between nine possible different people?  Yep, this is going to be a mess.  I didn't realize when I started it that I was going to want to bounce around in all their heads. We've got some time before the next episode (I would be very, very, very sorry. . .except I do LOVE the Olympics) here's a quick stab at a what-might-happen.  I usually am a third-person limited writer, but I wanted to play around with something fun and explore all the possible emotion that could go into this whole situation.  This is going to come in blurbs, because I'm still trying to make "Resistance" my main project (I do want to finish that, eventually) so I have no idea how long this is going to end up.  Probably not too long, but then again, I never expected "Resistance" to be nearing 100,000 words either.</p><p>The title is partially from a line in an old Star Wars novel "Assault at Selonia."  I believe it was:  "Old habits died hard in good smuggler's that didn't die young."</p><p>Quick update.  I ditched the Spanish since I was told it didn't make sense.  If someone can get me insults in Spanish that are real, I'd be thrilled.</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sebastian:  
In the end, it was a good fight, the boy and I. He tried to beat me. He really did. And I tried to let him. But they got sloppy, watching us. Let down their guard. And the one I got by the throat had friends. They didn't like me dragging him as far into the cage as the bars would allow. Really, asshats, wasn't there a chain link fence you could have gotten a hold of instead of stupid rebar.

Hello. What did you think I was going to do. Kill my son or let him kill me without trying to get loose. Some people just deserve to die.

It was the friends that were the useful ones, coming it to try to get him loose. Again, what did you think I was going to do. Granted, I'm pretty sure my nose was broken by then. But they'd seen me take a pounding before and still come back to win the fight. Why would this be any different. Whip. Marks. On. My. Back. If you couldn't tell that I didn't quit. Well, you deserve what you get. Idiots.

But what she did? No fucking way am I letting her get away with that. I am dragging her straight back to Miles, telling him the whole story and let him deal with it. I can't even come up with anything that she appears to be listening to anyway so he gets this one.

Forget Miles, I'm telling Rachel.

 

Connor:  
I'll give the old man that. He's one fucking tough son-on-a-bitch. I thought I was doing pretty good, going up against General Monroe and all that. Now granted, he'd taught me a lot. And I knew he was planning on me being the one to walk out of there. What the heck is with the death wish, by the way?

But I thought I was actually better than him and that all he was doing was just pulling his punches when he did hit me, maybe not blocking one or two. But then that shit-for-brains dumbass got close to the bars and I really thought the old man was mostly done for and all the sudden he's got one guy partially in the cage with us and he's choking him to death, avoiding everyone trying to help and someone gets stupid and comes rushing in. Really, all they had to do was threaten to shoot me and I suspect it would have ended different. Who knew the world's most ruthless monster had a soft spot and that it happens to be me. Yeah, cuz that's not weird at all

Really, what hell am I even suppose to call him.

But when they come in, he does what he clearly does best. And it's not cage fighting. He's good at that. But he's better at killing.

But not as good as when the two of them are killing together.

Sure, I'd seen her put a gun in someone's face. And I'd been impressed. I really had. I thought my whole run in with the Patriots had proved I was good. And don't get me wrong. I'm not too bad. But apparently I still have a few things to learn. Damn bastard. If he'd have just left me alone, I could have gone on with life, thinking I was hot shit. I really hate feeling like I'm just second place.

But apparently that's all I am right now. How the hell was I suppose to know she'd nailed me because she felt bad that she wanted to fuck him? Apparently honesty isn't her strong suit. I'd wondered why he sounded so pissed. I thought the lecture was about him trying to prove he was the one in charge. I kind of wondered at the looks they were giving each other. But it wasn't until I saw them fighting together that I knew for sure. How humiliating. I totally fucked my future step-mother.

Not that she's not still coming on to me because she's still pretending he's not the one she wants. And he's just as bad. Looking at her when he doesn't think anyone can see. This is just embarrassing. I'm tempted to let her drag me off into the bushes just because I'm kind of pissed at both of them and payback can be a bitch and I really hate feeling like a third wheel and it would serve them right.

It's not like another round will be any worse that what we've already done and she's not done anything yet and this is only me guessing.

Besides, not like I've not been wrong about plenty today already. Except they're not done yelling at each other. He's pissed she came back and apparently she thinks he's stupid because he's done the same plenty of times for her. Oh, no, now they're done. And she's headed right for me.

 

Charlie:  
Arrogant, stupid, misogynistic, holier-than-thou crap-spewing, stupid. . .you know what, I'm even out of words. Except if he thinks I was just going to walk away and let someone else have the satisfaction of killing him. Well, he clearly doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does then. I knew he'd be pulling something like that and sure, I'm wanted in New Vegas, But hello, put my hair up, slap way too much make-up on and no one even recognized me. Okay, so they weren't looking at my face. I'm totally done with lace bras. They itch. And it probably helped that I wasn't wearing pants. But hey, I helped get his ass out and all I get is a lecture.

Whatever. Miles would totally have done the same thing.

Well, Miles would have worn pants.

Okay, so Miles is good enough to have gone in and gotten him out with pants. I get that. I used what I had. So what. We're all out, we're all fine. Adapt, overcome, drive on. Isn't that something Marine's say? He should be used to me improvising by now.

Did you seriously just threaten to tell my mother about this? Yeah, we're done here. I'll give you something to tell my mother, you sanctimonious bastard.

 

Miles:  
Do I hear wagon wheels? I expected them yesterday or the day before, but I've been trying so hard not to let Tom and Rachel know I'm worried.

Tom's lying to me. Known it since the moment he started spouting off about revenge. if Tom Neville really wanted revenge, he wouldn't be so open about it.

The kid's been lying too. The only reason I asked him was I needed to know if he knew Tom was lying. Oh yeah, he knows.

Question is, are they here to kill me and Bass both, or just Bass?

I get the feeling it's just Bass. If it were me, they'd have done it already. And I get the oddest feeling they don't want to do it but have no choice.

That's what I hate about Tom. He could have leveled with me anytime in the last few days and yet he keeps building up his story. Which means someone is controlling him. Which means Patriots. Just not sure what they've got on him. I'd think it was Julia. But she died in Atlanta. I'd think it was the kid, but he's right here in front of me. So is one of them infected with some other hell-shit and Bass' head is the cost of the antidote?

Those are definitely wagon wheels. If I'm lucky I can go up and intercept them before Tom notices I'm gone. Yeah, it's been long enough since I've gone out to pee he'd probably buy that. Get Bass down here. Together we should be able to get Tom to tell us something.

What the hell is all that shouting?

Crap, Tom's moving. Got to get him before he gets Bass.

Shit, the kid's fast. 

Wait, why is the kid just standing there, staring? And why are Bass, Connor and Charlie all yelling at each other?

Um. Why isn't Charlie wearing any pants?

 

Rachel:  
"Charlie, where are your pants?"

 

Tom:  
"MONROE!"

 

Jason:  
"Charlie?"

 

Connor:  
Who's the hell are those guys?

 

Charlie:  
Oh shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing stream-of-conscious, where you're shifting between nine possible different people? Yep, this is going to be a mess. I didn't realize when I started it that I was going to want to bounce around in all their heads. We've got some time before the next episode (I would be very, very, very sorry. . .except I do LOVE the Olympics) here's a quick stab at a what-might-happen. I usually am a third-person limited writer, but I wanted to play around with something fun and explore all the possible emotion that could go into this whole situation. This is going to come in blurbs, because I'm still trying to make "Resistance" my main project (I do want to finish that, eventually) so I have no idea how long this is going to end up. Probably not too long, but then again, I never expected "Resistance" to be nearing 100,000 words either.
> 
> The title is partially from a line in an old Star Wars novel "Assault at Selonia." I believe it was: "Old habits died hard in good smuggler's that didn't die young."
> 
> Quick update. I ditched the Spanish since I was told it didn't make sense. If someone can get me insults in Spanish that are real, I'd be thrilled.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie:  
Seriously? It's a bikini bottom. I'm not naked. You'd thinks with all the commotion I was naked. Okay, so I could have put my other clothes back on but I was so irritated I told him I'd traded my clothes for these and refused to borrow some of his. If he's going to be such a bastard, he has no right to complain about me being a bitch. 

What the hell are Tom and Jason doing here. He doesn't get to be mad either. He took his ass back to Georgia after the Tower. Did he really think I was going to sit around and wait for him to come back? Okay, so I kind of agree, fucking Monroe's kid isn't exactly classy. But it's a lot better than fucking Monroe and, quite frankly, that's where things were headed and I don't know if I could come back from that.

Besides, what does does he think I am? If he wants classy he can go back to Georgia and find a clone of mommy.

Really, did Connor just call me his girl? Oh, that shit's going to stop. Wow, Jason's gotten better at punching. That's going to leave a mark. Honestly, if he wants to beat the shit out of Connor after a comment like that, I'm not stopping him. But if he looks at me like that again, I'm out of here.

Yep, I'm out of here.

What are Miles and Tom yelling about? That's got to be more interesting than this.

And why, is my mother the only one who seems to be taking this well. That's unexpected.

 

Miles:  
What is Charlie wearing. Or, not wearing. I should be pissed but quite frankly, it's got the Neville kid so distracted he's totally missed the fact I have his Dad pinned down. Oh shit, I really don't want to be hearing this.

 

Tom:  
"If I don't kill Monroe, the Patriots are going to kill Julia."

 

Connor:  
What the fuck. That really hurt. Who is this asshat and why does he seem to think Charlie belongs to him? Okay, I may have gone a little far calling her my girl. Maybe it was best this douche hit me first because she looked like she wanted to kill me. But seriously, did he have to hit so hard? Who the fuck are these guys? Why do I feel like I am walking into the middle of something and everyone else seems to know who everyone is and what they're doing?

 

Jason:  
"Really, Charlie? Bass Monroe's kid? That's the best you can do?"

 

Rachel:  
This really should be upsetting me. Tom trying to kill Bass. Well, okay, that's not normally something that would upset me. But Miles thinks we need him.

Finding out from a shouting match that Charlie's sleeping with Monroe's kid. Well, maybe I should be cheering with relief that it means she won't be sleeping with Monroe. I saw the way they were looking at each other. But if she's slept with his son. . .oh, what the hell am I kidding myself. She fucked Connor because she was trying not to fuck Bass and this has probably just made it worse because now he's off limits. And if she's anything like me -- and damn her for inheriting her taste in men from me -- off limits is just that much more attractive. And nice people -- the one's who don't sleep with their son's ex -- well, if he was nice, he wouldn't have taken over the East Coast. So that's out. So that's something to be upset about.

And really, where are her pants?

I wonder if I'm really loosing it finally, because something about this makes me want to laugh. I'm really not used to being the calm one. This is kind of nice."

 

Monroe:  
I need: drink, a nap, a bath.

I don't need: Nevilles. Any of them; Charlie sleeping with Connor; Jason Neville kicking Connor's ass. Okay, that part's not so bad. Only I want to do it myself; Charlie walking around mostly naked. Seriously, she could have found clothes by now. She's just being a stubborn prick. Oh wait, she's acting just like Miles. Well, Miles usually wears more clothes; Rachel freaking out.

Wait a second. Rachel's not freaking out. That's a little wierd.

Okay, new list.

I need: drink; a nap; a bath; Rachel to freak out. It would put the universe back into alignment.

So why am I getting everything on my don't need list and not getting anything on my need list. Is this the universe punishing me?

Yes, the universe hates me. Because unfortunately I just heard what Tom said. And as much as I hate it, he could be useful too. New item for the don't need list. A trip to D.C. to rescue Julia Neville. Anyone want to bet what I'm about to get.

Well, at least I'm pretty damn sure that at least Charlie's not going to sleep with Tom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really has no definitive plot. Just a little stream-of-conscious that has gotten way more characters in it that I thought was possible But it's fun to write and a little restful after be my larger work has hit 10800+ words (and still counting). Not sure at this point how much more there will be. . .just have to wait for the inspiration to strike. Though that may not be the best word choice. Because if there is striking going on here, it's not inspiration.


	3. Chapter 3

Tom:  
I don't know what to believe anymore. They tell me if I kill Monroe they'll let Julia live. But with everything they've done, I don't know if I can believe them or not.

On the other hand I have Miles and Monroe. I hate them both. I want them both dead. They are dangerous and unbalanced. But I know them. Miles put a sword to Julia's throat and I want to kill him for that. But when I did what he asked he let her live. And he's telling me if I work with them he'll help me rescue her.

Everything I have screams to kill them all and take back their heads to lay at the feet of that bastard who I once even voted for.

Yet I am not their dog to fetch. And can the two men who went mad be what I need right now.

I want to kill them so much my blood burns.

I need them.

How did the world. . .my world. . .come to this?

 

Miles:  
This is not turning out to be a good day. Can I just slit my wrists now?

"Charlie, put some clothes on! What do you mean, why? Because didn't anyone ever tell you not to tease the wildlife?"

 

Rachel:  
It's so funny. If I'd have told Charlie to get dressed, she'd have fought me like crazy and probably end up stark naked. But Miles tells her to and she instantly does what he wants. It's the exact same thing I'd have said but she only listens to him. I wonder if I can get him to tell her to stay away from Bass?

Except I think that would backfire too. I think maybe we both had better leave that one alone. Oh, why couldn't my daughter have been more like her father. Ben would have had more sense.

 

Connor:  
Really, who does this douche think he is. Bastard probably broke my nose. I should kick his ass. I nearly killed General Monroe, I could take him.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding. He let me nearly win and this asshat may be a douche but that was one hell of a hit and he blocked my best strike.

But he can't stop staring at her. He may have had her first, but I've had her most recently.

 

Jason:  
If we need them to rescue my mother, I will not kill them.

But I want to kill him. He dared to touch her.

 

Charlie:  
There, Miles, are you happy now you inhibited killjoy? See, pants. Whatever. You'd think I'd have been naked.

Tormenting the wildlife, am I? Well, okay, Jason and Connor do seem to be acting like a pair of dogs. But I am not a bone or a bitch in heat. And since when has my mother been the only person not yelling like a lunatic.

 

Sebastian:  
Good, she's wearing clothes. Maybe I can think again.

I don't want to be here playing this anymore. Why can't I focus? I should be able to focus again now that she's dressed. What is wrong with me?

Oh, yes, Charlotte Matheson is what is wrong with me. How could I forget that?

I want. . .I. . .Never mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short one, not as funny. But I wanted to move it along a little. If you can move along a stream-of-conscious with no real plot. Okay, I wanted an excuse to update something and get to use the AO3 1million tag.
> 
> My real motive revealed.


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel:  
I never thought I would see the day when Tom Neville and Sebastian Monroe would be united in one thing. Funny that it happens to be believing Charlie is the worst thing that could happen to their sons.

What's even more ironic is that I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree with them. Though from my standpoint, it is that both their sons are the worst thing that could happen to my daughter.

But then again, let's be honest. Plenty of things could be worse. And as much as I want to blame Monroe for being the worst person the the universe. . .that would be a title reserved for, well, me. Still, I don't want her around any of them. I want to wrap her up and take her away from them, from this. From war and death and misery and all the stupid posturing by these men who may as well just whip their dicks out, measure, and be done with it. I'm almost tempted to suggest it. Except I have a funny feeling that more than one of them might actually do it and that is not something I want to see. I hate these men. And yet, if we are to beat these Patriots, I think I will need them. That kills me. Makes me want to kill them. But my heart whispers promises to my mind that waiting for later would be better.

But if Tom Neville thinks he can call my daughter a whore and just get away with it?

CRACK!

That feels better. Somehow the sting of his cheek on my palm is almost as satisfying a pain as giving birth. Not quite. But as close as I can get again.

 

Tom:  
Part of me wonders if I really did deserve that. I don't know which one of the she-bitches I hate more. The mother or the daughter?

The irony is that Julia is more of a hellcat than these two and she is my world. Which may explain why I hate them like I do.

 

Connor:  
I feel like I've stepped into the middle of a play and everyone else knows their lines except me. I feel like a fish dying in air when I am around them. No, not around them. Just him. He is like oxygen. So present and vital yet fatal to me. And why the fuck am I philosophizing here? Maybe because everyone else seems to do everything better than I do at everything else. Fighting. Fucking. Not that she'll admit it. She's polite about that, at least. And that may make me angriest of all.

 

Jason:  
I made the wrong call, following my father. Yet what other choice did I have? She didn't leave me with one then and she's not leaving me with one now and I hate her for it yet my need for her is still the same as it was.

 

Charlie:  
"What?" If he looks at me like that again, I'm going to scream. And the worst part is . . . I don't know which he I'm referring to.

 

Monroe:  
"Not so much fun when it's the next day and now you have to make a choice, is it?" She's looking at me like Rachel did just seconds before she slapped Tom Neville. I really don't know if she enjoyed that more or if I did. And I never thought to enjoy anything connected to Rachel.

Yet as much as she wants to destroy me -- and I can see in her eyes that she does -- she won't hit me. Because that would mean touching me. And I am starting to wonder if that was why she was with Connor. What would it mean if her feelings for me ran as deep as mine for her. It's not love -- hell, it's barely lust. But it is need. That sharpness of knowing you are a part of another person and they you and no one can take that away. Not Rachel with her cold superiority or Miles building up my lifetimes worth of family and trust and yanking it away like a child taking a toy because he wanted to play his way. Because he was too big of a coward to let me go with him.

She hates me as much as I hate her. But he's betrayed us both and that bond between us cannot be broken, not even by the trail of my son's sperm wiped across her thighs. I don't know why I imagine it there. I really have no idea of the details.

But knowing she's thinking of me makes me able to focus again. I thought I had lost that. There is the strong likelihood I will never touch her and yet knowing her mind is mine, even if her body belongs elsewhere is enough for now.

 

Miles:  
I am surrounded by idiots.

That's a line from something. I can't remember what. Something Bass and I watched with his sisters probably. 

But for some reason I am picturing hyenas laughing.

If there were hyenas here, they would definitely be laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

Connor:  
He promises me the Republic and now he is allowing himself to be chained so he can be taken to D.C. to be executed in hopes he can use the opportunity to kill the (second?) husband of a woman I've never met so he can save her life so. . .what? This moody bastard with his brooding son will be on our side? Part of me just wants to walk away now and part of me wants to watch them kill him. And some small part of me actually thinks he can do this. Where the fuck is that coming from? Everything I've ever heard, ever been told, boils down to the simple concept of Sebastian Monroe cannot be trusted. So why do I want to think otherwise.

 

Rachel:  
I thought I hated him. I didn't know what hate was. The monster of my nightmares -- the one I use to console myself that my crimes are petty beside his; even if I know different. . .and that he is another creation of mine -- is about to risk his life to save a woman he dislikes for a man he hates.

This may finally commit the betrayal I cannot forgive. This proof that humanity exists in him.

 

Miles:  
If he dies, I'm really going to kill him this time.

 

Jason:  
He told me once, a long time ago, that he was glad to see me alive. I thought it was platitude, meant to confuse my father. But there is something to him. . .why the hell do I wonder if leaving the Republic may have been the wrong choice after all?

 

Charlie:  
Damn self-selfish, selfish son-of-a-bitch. Does he think no one sees through this? Does he think we don't know is doing this for Miles to trust him again? As if any of us could ever trust him again? If they kill him, I will be glad. If he comes back, I might just do it myself.

 

Tom:  
Once, this man in chains was the thing I wanted most in my life. Now, why does walking away with him by my side feel so right?

 

Monroe:  
I can see it on Miles' face, and that's enough. Win or lose, live or die. It's enough. The rest of them; Rachel, Charlie, Connor. Yeah, it's nice. But Miles is the one who I need to see wants me to live. Why did I think that even finding my son would be enough? And I'm not stopping with that douch-tard second husband of Julia's. In D.C., the sky's the limit. Tom and I between us? Well, here goes nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Neville:  
I don't know why I ever trusted them. . .ever thought they'd do what they promised. I wonder how long after Jason and I left that they waited to cut her throat. I can't live without her. I learned that when I though she had died in Atlanta. But I also learned I could live long enough to destroy them. And so-help-me, I will do that again. We've made a good start, I'll give him that. But it's nowhere near the end.

 

Jason:  
They didn't even bother pulling her body out of the cage in the basement. Someone just cut her throat and left her, chains still on her. Or did they add those after? Because they didn't bother to chain us, when they threw us all down here, patting themselves on the back and congratulating themselves on the upcoming "trial" of Sebastian Monroe and how they'd make sure he'd really die this time. Idiots. Oh, I grant, I'm no fan of Monroe's. . .but he's efficient. Had himself out in less than twenty minutes. I thought he was crazy, getting Charlie's grandfather to do what he did. I've heard of people smuggling in lockpicks in other places. . .but never getting a doctor to slide one under the skin on his forearm. It had to have hurt for days, just sitting there. The Patriot who examined him bought the lie that it was a bullet wound and checked the bandage to make sure nothing was in it, but he never even glanced at wound itself. But would I have done any different? Even I don't know.

 

Rachel:  
It doesn't take a genius to see Tom Neville is utterly destroyed. I've seen flames around campfires reflecting in people's eyes but these don't look like a reflection. These look like the pit of hell showing up out of their depths. And for once I am glad we are on the same side. Just because I don't want to be fighting against him right now.

 

Connor:  
Damn. I wanted to live there someday. Maybe claim it as my own. Sure, I'm sorry she's dead -- whoever the hell Julia Neville was anyway -- because it sucks to lose your mother and I get that part of it. But isn't this slight over-reaction?

 

Miles:  
I can't believe they torched the White House! Really?! He's either crazy or genius. Not sure which. Not sure which he I'm referring to either. Not good.

 

Charlie:  
Standing here is the glow of the flames, thinking of all the places I once wanted to see, I can't remember if the White House was was on my list? Well, at least I'm one of the last people to see it, even if. . . .never mind, the roof just collapsed. Remind me to ask how they managed to turn it into such a conflagration so very quickly. Part of me thinks we had no right to destroy history like this. . .part of me understands why it needed done. They were using this place as a symbol of power and with it gone; with the "President" gone, it will be harder to project that illusion.

And another part of me understands funeral pyres. The need to cleanse that evil place out of your soul. Part of me wishes I could burn Sylvania; wipe that grocery store parking lot off the map; erase the tower from existence. That diner. Make every place I have ever lost a loved one be gone from earth. Petty? Probably.

And I stand next to him, feeling the heat from the flames like it's the heat from him and I know we're not done. But we're closer. Winning is not impossible now, even if the sacrifices have been great. My heart aches for Jason, standing near Connor -- two motherless men that I've both slept with; even kind of cared about if I want to be totally honest. Because I thought we might be alike. Have some form of connection. And part of me thinks I belong with them. Because we've all lost a parent. But I can't move. I'm done running and hiding from the Patriots. And I'm done running and hiding from him. I've been so worried it will that fight I won't win that I've been hanging back and I'm over that now. Even if he doesn't want me, it's better than pretending I am someone I am not.

 

Monroe:  
I've been where he's standing. . .Tom. . .and I never though I'd hope he'd find his way out of the black pit but I really do. And not just to kill Patriots -- hell, he's a better fighter when he's got nothing to lose. But as I said, I've been there.

And when we walked into those cages. . .it was clear that someone had set him up. That body, just left there for him to see. What morons. I am a dangerous man when I am cornered. But no man should be stupid enough to fuck with Tom Neville's wife. That's just asking for whatever you get.

I wanted to kill the President -- for blaming me for Atlanta and Philadelphia. I let Jason do the honors.

I wanted to kill Doyle -- but we all understood that was Tom's place. He even scared me a little. Tom always killed quick. . .killed clean. But he made a pretty good go at skinning Doyle alive. Strausser could have made it last longer. . .but Tom made it last long enough.

Granted, burning the whole damned thing down was my idea. Remove it as a strategic location; both on the map in and in people's minds. Catching dozens of them asleep in their beds was just a bonus. Granted, if they hadn't had a few thousand pounds of HME stored in the basement, it might have been a lot harder. Dumb-asses. You store it outside town, not under your own house. Even I knew that at my craziest. The whole place -- old dry timbers -- went up like even I hadn't dreamed possible. And without smoke detectors -- in the middle of the night -- I doubt many made it out. Most probably suffocated from the smoke without ever even waking up.

But I'm tired and I'm sore. They might have been amateurs not to put a bullet in my head the first second one of them realized who I was but they could still hit hard. It's been a long few days and I don't see a chance to rest.

But I look around and see the first real smile I've seen on Rachel's face in decades. The wry amusement in Miles' eyes. And I realize how close to me Charlie is standing and she's threading her fingers through mine and no one -- not even Rachel -- seems to care. Like we have a right to be standing next to each other. Sure, Miles rolls his eyes. But I would have once expected him to try to chop my hand off and instead he just looks away.

My wrist hurts where I had Gene thread that damn pick and her holding my hand only makes it worse but I really don't care. I feel myself start to lean a little bit on her shoulder and she's there -- solid. Like I can trust her. There's not even lust right now -- though I'm sure that will come after I have slept. But right now it's just that we're all here. And yes, our family is a little broken right now. We've lost someone -- wouldn't Julia Neville have laughed to hear herself be called part of the family -- and it will take some time to get over that, if Tom ever can. But this fight isn't over; and I get the feeling we're all together til the end. After that? Well, that would be the question. But while I clearly can't read the future. . .I don't see this beating us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally planned to have them rescue Julia. . .but I decide that I needed to wrap this one up and finish it. And I also realized she probably wasn't even alive anymore. So her death gets to be something that brings them all closer in their quest for revenge.
> 
> And thus ends my dabbling into stream-of-consciousness writing. Particularly shifting between so many perspectives. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be and I probably won't try that again. But I also know never-say-never.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing stream-of-conscious, where you're shifting between nine possible different people? Yep, this is going to be a mess. I didn't realize when I started it that I was going to want to bounce around in all their heads. We've got some time before the next episode (I would be very, very, very sorry. . .except I do LOVE the Olympics) here's a quick stab at a what-might-happen. I usually am a third-person limited writer, but I wanted to play around with something fun and explore all the possible emotion that could go into this whole situation. This is going to come in blurbs, because I'm still trying to make "Resistance" my main project (I do want to finish that, eventually) so I have no idea how long this is going to end up. Probably not too long, but then again, I never expected "Resistance" to be nearing 100,000 words either.
> 
> The title is partially from a line in an old Star Wars novel "Assault at Selonia." I believe it was: "Old habits died hard in good smuggler's that didn't die young."
> 
> Oh, and the Spanish is from a translator, so it's possibly not the greatest. It's been a long time since college and they didn't teach me the sort of phrases Connor is using anyway.


End file.
